New film reveals wildlife at Dounreay

IT’S a side of Dounreay rarely seen by the outside world – otters, stoats and rare breeding birds living cheek by jowl with Britain’s biggest nuclear clean-up project.

A new short film takes viewers inside the redundant nuclear site to see how nature has adjusted to the decommissioning of Britain’s experiment with fast-breeder reactors.

The five-minute film, Naturally Dounreay, features birdlife and mammals that have taken up residence on the 135-acre site.

It includes a 25,000-square-metre area of ground that is now a wildflower meadow helping to reverse a decline in great yellow bumble bee numbers.

The film was produced for the site by local freelance cameraman Chris Gregory to help raise awareness among workers of the importance of protecting the environment from harm during the site’s decommissioning.

Simon Cottam, an environmental adviser leading the site’s biodiversity project, said: “It’s a side of Dounreay rarely seen by the outside world and one we are determined to protect and enhance as we clean up and knock down more and more of the site.”

The film includes a soundtrack featuring Melvich Gaelic Choir which recently won the Melvich Gaelic Choir Cup in the puirt-à-beul competition at the Caithness and Sutherland provincial mod held in Wick.